Albums

Introducing a new dynamic duo of sorts in Country music known as Howard Salmon and Deborah Martin-Lemmon who just released their latest effort entitled Old Habits are Hard to Break. Right from the start it might be easy to just categorize these 2 as a straight ahead Country duet types and write them off as the newest trending thing. It wouldn’t be wise, though.

If musical jams are your thing, a quick rising band, TAUK has all the jam, jelly, marmalade and preserves to suit any jamband fan’s tastes as witnessed on their LP, Homunculus. If the genre is rock, fusion, jazz, bluegrass, country, classical, rap, pop or psychedelic; musicians produce a “jam” for whatever their genre may be.

This band is amazing with a great style derived from classical, electronica, techno, and even house music. The band members are Francesco Tristano, Rami Khalife and Aymeric Westrich. Francesco and Rami met in New York while both studying classical piano at Juilliard. Apparently, both Francesco and Rami participated in the clubbing scene of New York as much as they did their studying. Upon meeting each other, they both began playing together with their classical training.

I found this album pleasant to listen to and enjoyed the talent expressed within it. Oberhofer is named after Brad Oberhofer, the front man and founder whom is originally from Tacoma, Washington. Brad moved from Washington to New York City to attend New York University to study music composition. The band Obehofer formed in 2008 to perform Brad’s compositions. Brad writes and records his own music and had formed a band to perform with.

Horns and go, “Step Inside” insists immediately. The tune takes a nostalgic turn near the end, riffing on some old jazz, but it’s largely a characteristic overture for Kings and Queens – a slight shift from the early days of John Brown’s Body has taken form here, albeit grounded firmly in roots from the same tree.

After listening to the beginning of The 4onthefloor's new album, Spirit of Minneapolis, I had very mixed feelings. I put these feelings aside to listen to and write about this band on a non-biased opinion. I cannot find too much information about the bands’ musicians as much as I can about their concerts, tours and origins. The band members are; Gabriel Douglas, James Gould, Mark Larson and Chris Holm.

Kurt Vile's fifth long player is a humble opus if there’s such a thing. His lyrics could be hopeful, could be melancholy, it’s tough to tell – the almost-eponymous opening track (substitute “Day” for Daze in the title) sums it simply, it’s hard to explain, (my love) in this daze. Vile’s vocals throughout Wakin On A Pretty Daze are soft and flatline, yet they tend to hint at a humble crispness around the edges.

The young D.C. trio going by Mission South is set to release their sophomore extended play, Migration Vol. 2. No doubt, these boys are rather proficient (and workers, too, as their extensive touring schedule can attest to). But aptitude doesn’t necessarily dictate achievement, and that’s where this particular band teeters.

Minneapolis-based band Night Moves is drawing fans in for a number of reasons, whether it’s the addicting, breezy hooks that pepper their debut album Colored Emotions; singer John Pelant’s distinct, gritty warble; or even their ode to Bob Seger.

With TAUK, it's best to ignore the foursome's wordy pandering (We really wanted this new album to be a statement... Homunculus has everything to do with how we as humans interpret ourselves and our surroundings. It acknowledges the inherent duality that exists between our mental and physical beings and to me that's where it relates to our creative process... Cool, Zhongfeng, now enough with the koans, please) and just listen to the music. Yes, these fellows are formally trained one-and-all.